Phoenix's Predator
by Rachael Rothman
Summary: Lang and Edgeworth are rivals. Lang realizes that Edgeworth has a specific weakness... Defence Attorney Phoenix Wright. Lang decides to make a move on Phoenix... but then his feelings got in the way, and he ended up falling in love. LangXPhoenix, ExP.
1. Chapter 1

**Otaku's Note: **I know, I'm on ANOTHER fucking roll. Anyway, I'm seriously obsessed with AA. It's my favourite DS game, and Feenie's my favourite character/uke for this series. Here's a contribution to Lang X Phoenix... since there aren't any stories of them at all, actually, so I thought I'd ship this pairing.

Hope you guys like it!

**Disclaimer: **I don't even need to say it.

**Warning(s): **Yaoi/Shounen-ai/BL, fluff, slight MilesXPhoenix, DRAMA!

* * *

><p><strong>Phoenix's Predator<br>**A story by Otakusama Rengette

* * *

><p><strong>Febuary 14, 10:00am<br>****District Court  
>Defendant Lobby 3<strong>

* * *

><p>Phoenix Wright sighed in content as he closed his case file, ready for it to be submitted to the case secretary later on. He'd just won a custody case with a landslide victory- the prosecutor being Prosecutor Payne, of course. Not to be mean or anything, but when it came to Prosecutor Payne, any decent defence attorney would be able to pull off beating him.<p>

Then, Phoenix heard a knock on his door.

"C-come in..." Phoenix said softly. He didn't expect the person on the other end to hear him, but to his surprise, the doors opened anyway.

"Mr. Wright! You have to evacuate the building now! There has just been an announcement at the front desk for everyone to evacuate by the back entrance immediately!" Ms Conners said. She was the receptionist at the main desk who he handed his papers to after every court case.

"An announcement? What about?"

"I'm not too sure either, but it was a direct order from an Interpool agent! Everyone is leaving through the back exit now, and I was instructed to call you and your cilents," Ms Conners pointed to Jayme and Lisa Williams, the cilents he had helped in court just a few minutes ago. Jayme waved at him and gave him a toothy grin.

"Let's go, Mr. Wright! There's no time to waste!"

Four of them made their way towards the hallway leading towards the back exit. Other people were also starting to move towards the back of the building, including the Judge. It was a little odd to see him off his post, especially in that black robe. And he was shorter than Phoenix had expected.

"My bear! I left it in the lobby!" Jayme cried. Lisa sighed. "We'll just have to get you a new one, honey. Now let's go-"

"_No_! It was a gift from Daddy! It's not the same! And I won't be seeing him again; we're moving to Germany, remember?" Jayme said, her voice becoming more hysterical.

Ms Conners furrowed her eyebrows. "It's not safe to go back now, little girl! This is an emergency."

Jayme's eyes welled up with tears.

"... You know what, I'll get it. You guys go on ahead, I'll meet you at the back of the building!" Phoenix said. Ms Conners' eyes widened.

"B-but, Mr. Wright! It was an order-"

"I'll be quick! Now go!" Phoenix said, making shoo-ing motions. Exchanging worried glances, Lisa grabbed Jayme and hoisted her up, while Ms Conners nodded uncertainly.

Phoenix watched them disappear down the hallway, then started to briskwalk towards Defendant Lobby 3, grumbling about the emergency evacuation.

Reaching the doors to the third defendant lobby, Phoenix pushed the doors open. The room was empty. There, on the brown leather couch, he saw a big, brown, stuffed teddy bear, complete with a red ribbon on it's left ear.

"This must be it... I'll just go now-" Phoenix was cut off as he felt someone grab him from around the waist, and then something made of metal being pressed to his head.

"_Don't move_... unless you want to die." A chilling voice whispered in his ear.

The bear dropped onto the floor, slipping from Phoenix's fingers.

Thundering footsteps could be heard, and several men entered the room... including one familiar face the Phoenix recognised.

"PHOENIX WRIGHT? _WHAT ARE YOU DOING_? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE THE BUILDING WITH THE REST OF THEM! _FOOL_!" Franziska yelled, her whip brandished and ready to strike. But she didn't- because of the man pointed a gun at Phoenix's head.

"Make way, von Karma. Or Mr. Wright here gets a one-way ticket to hell." The man sneered.

Franziska shut her mouth, and grit her teeth in frustration as she began to make way for the convict to leave- when she was stopped. By a man with beige blonde hair, and fangs that reminded Phoenix of...

... _A wolf_?

"Woah, woah, woah. Have you forgotten how we handle these things, von Karma? Like Lang Zi says: He who gives way will be pushed over." The man said, a wolfish grunt sounding from his throat.

"..." The man who held Phoenix remained silent. "So you'd be willing to risk me killing this man?" The convict said, and Phoenix could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"Go ahead, see if I care." The man said, smirking. Phoenix's eyes widened in disbelief. That jerk!

"... G-Get out of my way now!" The convict yelled, and Phoenix felt him tremble a little. It seemed as though his plan to take someone hostage wouldn't work... since that Interpool Agent (jerk) wasn't budging at all to allow the convict through. "It's best if you surrender now, Joka. You've been running for far too long now. I've got you where I want you... and you're going to pay for all the things you did." The wolfish-man said with a smile.

"I... d-didn't... _ARGHhhHHhhHHhhHHH_!" The man screamed in frustration. Phoenix heard the gun being cocked, and the wolfish-man lunged forwards, grabbing his arm to jerk him out of the way...

BANG!

Phoenix felt a searing pain in his right shoulder, and the shock of the sudden pain caused him to collapse. Franziska had lashed out at the convict with her whip, delivering a direct blow to the base of the neck, rendering him unconscious.

"Hey! Stay awake! Don't fall asleep!" The Interpool agent barked, gingerly holding Phoenix in his arms. The defence attorney could only blink hazily as he felt his own warm blood soaking up his blue suit.

And he had just ironed it this morning, too...

"Call the ambulance, fools! NOW! _WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR_?"

Phoenix heard was Franziska screaming frantically at the lower ranking officers, and those hazelnut coloured eyes staring at him with frustration and slight concern.

"Stay... awake..."

And he blacked out.

* * *

><p><strong>Time: ?<br>Location: ?**

* * *

><p>Groaning slightly, Phoenix cracked open an eye, blinded by the white light from the ceiling. Wincing, he snapped them shut again, and slowly tried to adjust to the harsh glow of white.<p>

It looked like a hospital ward. There was an IV drip attached to his left hand... oh, right. The shooting. Franziska had been there, as well as that wolfish-like Interpool Agent.

Oh! Did he have Jayme's bear with him? But before he could think anymore into it, the doors opened. Franziska stepped in, her eyes furious,  
>followed by the wolfish-like man.<p>

"YOU STUPID FOOL! ARE YOU THAT FOOLISH AS TO NOT OBEY THE INSTUCTIONS THAT WERE ISSUED?" Franziska said, whipping a nearby chair. At least she had the sense not to whip him while he was down.

"... Where's the bear?" Phoenix squeaked, not knowing what else to say.

"What bear?" The German snapped, furrowing her eyebrows- she did that whenever she didn't understand something, or when she was irritated with someone, on the first degree.

"I went back to... uh... help Jayme find her... s-stuffed bear... Do you have it? The... er... bear, I mean." Phoenix said, slowly and cautiously, knowing that Franziska wouldn't like the answer.

And boy was he right.

"YOU _STUPID IMBECILE_! YOU RISKED YOUR LIFE FOR A FOOLISHLY PATHETIC BEAR OF A FOOLISHLY FOOLISH MORON OF THIS FOOLISH COUNTRY?" She shrieked, practically rattling the windows.

Phoenix frowned. "Hey, don't drag Jayme into this! She's just a little girl!"

Franziska stopped in mid-rant, her eyes wide. Then, she made a grunting noise. "Expected from the _noble_ Phoenix Wright. Always putting his life before others. Pathetic."

And then she turned and left.

Sighing, Phoenix was about to slip back into the comfortable matteress and duvet the hospital had provided before he remembered that there was another individual in the room.

"... Can I help you?" Phoenix said uncertainly. The Interpool Agent smirked. "You're Phoenix Wright, huh. The famous defence attorney who beat Edgeworth everytime you've crossed paths."

"... Er, yeah."

"Impressive. My name's Shi-Long Lang. But you can call me Lang. I like you... the way you humiliated that stupid prosecutor again and again." Lang's voice held a childish glee to it, but Phoenix wasn't amused.

"For your information, Edgeworth happens to be a good friend of mine!" Phoenix huffed. Lang raised an amused eyebrow. "Really? Then how come he complains about you so much to that Gumshoe fellow?"

Phoenix's heart sank. Edgeworth... complained about him? To _Gumshoe_?

"... Anyway, just wanted to remind you; next time you receive an order from Interpool, follow it. Don't do anything foolish, like today."

"Yeah."

"... Did you hear me?"

"Yeah."

"_Really_?"

"Yeah."

"... Are you a woman?"

"Yeah."

"... I just ate a live horse!"

"Mhm."

Growling, Lang snapped his fingers in front of the dazed attorney's face. Phoenix jumped, startled.

"HEY! Listen to me when I'm talking to you, Wright!" Lang barked... more like hollered, actually, considering the impressive volume capacity Lang possessed. The defense attorney grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. And uh... thanks for earlier. I thought you were gonna let the guy take me out, but-"

"Feh! I would never put an innocent person's life in danger. Like Lang Zi says: The innocent cannot be judged by the wrongdoings of the evil." Lang said, reciting one of his father's sayings _without_ Shi-Na's help.

Good, he didn't need her around as much as he thought.

"... That's an interesting phrase." Phoenix said, smiling softly. Lang shrugged. "Well, I'd better get back to my duties. You'll be discharged from the hospital in about two days. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you."

Phoenix nodded. "Thank you. Please tell Maya and Pearls of my location!"

The defense attorney got a simple wave as he watched Shi-Long Lang leave the hospital ward. It was a private one, too. Hm, nice of Franziska and Lang to go through the trouble.

For the rest of the day, Phoenix laid back in the comfortable fort of pillows and thought about the visit he would be expecting from Lang the next day...

... Wait, _what_?

**FIN.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Dr8wy: **Uhh, it's about time I continued this, huh. Hehehe, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Phoenix's Predator<br>**Chapter 2

* * *

><p>Phoenix blearily opened his eyes, staring sleepily at the ceiling. He felt light-headed and weak... probably from the lack of food. Man, what time was it anyway? He glanced at the beside table, hoping to find a alarm clock or something, but instead, he came face-to-face with a…<p>

Wait, what was THAT?

He jolted out of his bed, eyes wide, and stared- at the man sitting on his bedside table. Those amber eyes stared at him, calculating.

"W-what?" Phoenix managed to stutter out, feeling nervous under that sharp gaze. It was the other detective from yesterday- Lang, was it? Or was his name Shi? Phoenix had never been good with foreign names.

"Are you feeling better?" The man asked. Phoenix continued to stare blankly for a moment. Then he blinked. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Good. Lang Zi says: 'The injured must heal in peace.' I had that Gumshoe Detective guard your door, in case anyone tried to disturb you." Phoenix's eyes widened slightly. "Um, wow. Thanks! It wasn't necessary, though. Did anyone come by?" Phoenix said, stretching his arms.

Lang shrugged. "Yeah, one woman and a little girl. They were your clients from the last case you took up. They wanted to say thanks before they left for Germany, and they wish you the best." Phoenix smiled at this. "Hahaha! Okay. Did Jayme get her bear?"

"… Yes. I passed it on to her." Lang said, leaning back against the wall. Phoenix threw him a grateful look. "That was kind of you."

"Well, it's not like I had any other use for it. Von Karma threatened to throw it away if the girl didn't come back for it… but she was probably wasn't serious. That woman may_ pretend_ to be tough, but she's as soft as a new-born pup."

Phoenix laughed nervously.

"Why do I have a hard time believing that…?" Phoenix murmured to himself. Lang Zi laughed- a loud, bark like noise that alarmed Phoenix slightly. After all, he spent most his time around Maya and Pearls, and the way they both laughed were rather light and bubbly.

Even the men he knew laughed like women. Larry had this high-pitched, squealing giggle and Miles had a soft chuckle. Not that the latter laughed often, anyway. But Phoenix digressed.

"Um, so when will I be able to leave?" The defence attorney asked, looking up at the Interpol agent.

Lang returned the gaze. Phoenix marvelled at the rare colour of the man's eyes. Amber, with flecks of gold in them. Didn't they use to say during medieval times that amber eyes were the eyes of a hunter? Well, if that were the case, they really suited Lang.

"You'll be discharged today, but the doctor says no strenuous activity for a week. Oh- and there's something you should know..." Lang trailed off, and he seemed unsure as to whether or not he should continue.

"Huh? Know what?" Phoenix asked. Lang stared off to a wall at the side of the room. "Von Karma says that she wants me to keep an eye on you until you're fully recovered, since I'm not on the hot-list for any new cases right now. She'd do it herself to make sure you don't get into any more '_foolishness_', but she's been ordered to take up a case overseas in France." Lang explained.

Phoenix raised his eyebrows. "So she's really an Interpol agent, huh?" The other sighed, gritting his teeth. "Yes. Just try to keep it under wraps, alright? It's bad enough that the pink pretty-boy prosecutor knows."

"Hahaha! Are you talking about Edgeworth?" Phoenix said, laughing. "That's a great way to describe him!"

Lang found himself grinning slightly. Slightly.

"Yeah. It's true, after all. He was a huge thorn in my side during a few previous investigations of mine here." The wolf sighed, scowling. Nick titled his head slightly, not sure as to what the prosecutor was talking about.

Lang huffed. "Anyway, I brought you some flowers. And a fruit basket from Von Karma. I hope you like them," Lang pointed to a vase of light red carnations, and a basket filled with grapes, oranges, apples and a pineapple to boot.

"I have to go now. Duty calls. Like Lang Zi says: 'Crime waits for nobody'. I'll see you tomorrow at your office, Phoenix Wright." And Lang was gone, the swinging doors of his hospital room giving Phoenix a fleeting impression.

The defence attorney turned his attention to the flowers. Light red carnations... huh. He made a mental note to search as to what those represented.

And hoped that everything would turn out smoothly._ Especially_ tomorrow.

* * *

><p>"Miles Edgeworth speaking."<p>

The cravat-clad prosecutor was seated at his desk, going through a few piles of paperwork he'd missed out on during his 'death'. Unsurprisingly, the amount had resembled a small mountain, leaving the poor man to rot in his office for an all-nighter.

"_Sir? It's me, Gumshoe, sir!_" Edgeworth sighed inwardly as he heard the detective's loud voice yell through the earpiece. This had better be worth his time. He didn't want to be brought out of concentration just to advise the Detective on what flavour cup ramen he should buy with his minimum wage salary. "What is it?"

"_It's uh... Miss Von Karma. She wanted me to tell you that Shi-Long Lang is gonna be uh... keeping an eye on Mr. Wright for a while._"

This caught Miles' attention. "What for?" He demanded, eyebrows furrowed.

"_You haven't heard of it, sir? Mr. Wright was held hostage during an Interpol mission, and he was shot straight at his shoulder_." Detective Gumshoe's words made Miles go pale. Phoenix had been shot? Was he okay? Was there any lasting damage?

God damnit!

"Where is he now? Tell me, Gumshoe! Or your salary's going to take an even _larger_ plummet down the drain!" The prosecutor snapped, leaping up from his chair, hands reaching for his keys. He could hear Gumshoe swallow. Hard.

"_H-he's already been discharged, sir! The bullet hit only flesh, no bone, so his shoulder should heal in about two weeks! Boy, he sure is lucky!_" Edgeworth froze at this statement. So he was alright.

Thank goodness.

"... Keep me updated on Wright's situation. Don't leave anything out, Detective."

"_Yes, Mr. Edgeworth sir!_" _  
><em>

And Miles cut the line, placing the phone back onto the receiver. He sighed, rubbing his temples as he stared out of the polished windows of his office, eyes focusing on the greyish sky.

He made a mental note to check up on Phoenix soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dr8wy: **Thanks for the reviews so far! Enjoy this third chappie. Hehehe. It's so short only 'cuz I'm lazy, but hey, what else is new? If someone gives me a plot hit, maybe my hands will move faster. :D

Hehehe, just kidding! Though seriously, I'd love to hear from you guys.

* * *

><p><strong>Phoenix's Predator<br>**Chapter 3

* * *

><p>The next day of Wright and Co. Law Offices was a loud one. Barely after Phoenix had stepped through the door, he'd immediately been accosted by Maya and Pearls.<p>

"Nick! Oh thank god you're okay!" Maya said, dashing over and giving him a friendly squeeze. Pearl gasped and squealed. "You're so passionate, Mystic Maya! I'm sure Mr. Nick is feeling better already from your efforts!"

"Pearly! … All I did was hug him." Maya said, raising her eyebrows at the little girl, who also gave Phoenix a share of get-well-soon hugs. "Gak! Not to hard, Pearls! I'm still injured!"

Pearls gasped and was about to apologize, but Maya laughed and gave him a good slap on the back. "Don't be such a wuss, Phoenix! Man up and smile! You can handle the pain!"

The attorney merely winced and chose not to reply.

Then, they got down to business. Surprisingly, there were actually clients waiting for Phoenix to defend them, as opposed to Phoenix having to hunt down the most ridiculous clients in hope of defending them in a trial.

Maybe this was a good sign that his reputation was increasing? Who knows?

Everything went normally, Phoenix working on the new documents and calling up the clients to discuss their cases, Maya at the corner watching old reruns of the Steel Samurai on television, and Pearls having fun with a new colouring book that her village friends had sent her.

Around noon, there came a knock on the door. Surprised, Phoenix got up from his chair and headed towards the door. But before he could open it, it swung open of its own accord, hitting him square in the face.

"Hey, is Phoenix Wright here?" A gruff voice said, and Lang stepped through the door, giving Maya and Pearls a hard stare.

"H-he's behind…" And Maya pointed to where Phoenix was, view blocked from Lang by the door, clutching his throbbing nose.

"Owwwww."

Raising his eyebrows, Lang moved over to Phoenix's side, and cupped the latter's face in his hands. Ignoring the indignant squeak from the little girl and the flush that adorned Phoenix's cheeks, Lang used his thumb and index finger to push down on the spot on the left side of the defence attorney's nose and below the lips.

Feeling the pain disappear almost immediately, Phoenix gasped. "That was amazing!"

Lang shrugged. "Like Lang Zi says: Pain is nothing but an obstacle to suppress. That was a technique I learned from my teacher- it merely numbed your nerves, and will continue to do so until you're healed. It should take until tomorrow."

"... That's really useful stuff," The lawyer said, grinning sheepishly while feeling slightly inferior compared to Lang's skill. "Why don't you just use that technique on my shoulder, huh? Hehehe."

The detective smirked. "No, you need to _feel_ the consequences of your actions, Wright."

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Phoenix turned and plopped back down into his chair, picking up his pen. "Well, feel free to look around! Maya, Pearls and I are going to grab some lunch around noon. You're welcome to join us." Phoenix gave Lang a kind smile.

Lang couldn't help but give a small smile back. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

><p>It was blazing hot- and Lang was glad he'd agreed to follow Phoenix and his assistants out of the stuffy office (the air-conditioning was in repairs and would only be fixed the next day) and to a cool burger joint that they were familiar with. The scent of grilled meat and melted cheese hit him like a punch.<p>

"It smells fairly appetizing." Lang said, pulling out a chair for Phoenix, who flushed. "Uh, thanks," The lawyer said, cheeks pink. "Not sure why you did that- but this joint is pretty popular around town. That's why Maya likes to drag me here. And my wallet. My poor, poor wallet." Phoenix winced as he took a quick peek in his faded leather purse.

The Interpol agent snickered. "Fine then, today's lunch is on me. Feel free to order whatever you like." The Zheng Fanian gestured grandly to the menus with a swipe of his hand. Maya and Pearls squealed.

"A-are you sure? Maya's orders come in... _big __packages_." Phoenix whispered, a worried glint in his eyes. Snorting, Lang shooshed him. "Let the growing girl order whatever she wants. How bad could it-"

"I'd like three jumbo cheese-turkey bacon burgers with four chocolate milkshakes and whipped cream, and of course two sets of fries and onion rings _each_." Maya said, all in one go, to a waitress wearing a pink apron. She didn't seem intimidated in the least- probably already used to Maya's stomach.

But Lang felt himself slip off his chair slightly.

"One kid's lunch for me!" Pearls said brightly.

He slid off a bit more. Phoenix laughed, and ordered himself a single cheese burger. Lang regained some of his composure and managed to grunt out something that sounded like a beef burger.

As they ate, Phoenix enjoyed the peaceful silence that fell upon them-

"So, Wright. Why don't you tell me about your relationship with Miles Edgeworth."

No, scratch that, things were going to get really shitty.


	4. Chapter 4

**8east: **Well, I've gone and changed my username again. From Dr8wy to 8east, all the eights. Anyway, apologies for the SUPER LATE UPDATE on this chapter, I had to play Ace Attorney Investigations to reinvigorate my feels for this pairing.

Cuz basically I ship Kuroko no Basket yaoi now, along with Sengoku Basara. But wow, 16 reviews deserve another chapter, huh? I suck.

Though this chapter's kinda short, I should be updating the next one soon. Should.

Feel free to shoot me if I don't.

**Disclaimer: **All the characters of Ace Attorney belong to Capcom. I am merely a sad human being feeding off it's awesome.

* * *

><p><strong>Phoenix's Predator<br>**Chapter 4

* * *

><p>Phoenix sighed, rubbing his temples. He had expected this question... somewhat.<p>

"We're childhood friends. I knew him back when he was... friendly." Phoenix said, munching on his burger. Lang leaned back in his seat and narrowed his eyes, a little smirk playing on his lips.

His gaze made Phoenix rather uncomfortable, those sharp amber eyes that pierced through the souls of law-breakers were gazing on his burger-chewing, eye-contact avoiding face. All in all, he felt kinda dumb compared to an Interpol agent such as Lang.

"... Oh? So you're just... friends, huh." The taller said, trailing off.

Phoenix nodded, raising his eyebrows. What's up with that reply? "Is there something wrong?" He swallowed his burger. "Usually people can't believe he used to be nice, but he helped me out way back when I was a kid. Actually, he's the reason I sorta decided to become an attorney." The defence attorney said casually, taking another bite of his burger.

Lang tilted his head curiously. "Oh? That's interesting. And it's admirable of you to remember when someone helped you out. Lang Zi says: Know gratitude and it will repay itself in the future." He quoted another one of his father's phrases.

The other nodded, trying to tune out the gobbling noises Maya was making.

"Those are wise words... though I'm not really sure it's paying off. He hasn't really acknowledged me, and he treats me like I'm a nuisance most of the time..." Phoenix said, sighing and chewing on his burger.

"... You're very good at articulating with things in your mouth." Lang muttered. He realised how wrong it sounded and choked a little. Phoenix hadn't heard the remark and glanced worriedly at the Interpol agent.

Shaking his head, the wolf took his burger and bit down. The meat was tender and juicy, but a tad overcooked. Ah well. Might as well enjoy it... he would have to feast off on cheap take-away meals for the next few days... that girl sure did a number on his wallet.

Oh wait, he'd be guarding Wright. But hopefully he wouldn't be feeding that girl either...

"Hm, so tell me about your work. Is it fun?" Phoenix asked, genuinely interested. Lang shrugged, staring off to the side. "Well, it's... adrenaline pumping. I like the part where I get the bad guys."

The defence attorney laughed. "True! Sounds like fun, travelling around the world, serving justice to evil-doers. Kinda like a hero, actually." Phoenix said, smiling brightly at his companion.

Lang felt his heart skip a beat. That smile was... very calming. Lang found himself relaxing despite his lost of wallet weight and unfamiliarity with the man.

"It is. At least, when the criminal gets what's coming to him." He replied, haughtily smirking.

Their conversation continued throughout the meal, varying from different topics of many genres. What kind of music they liked, what foods they ate and funny happenings at work and at home.

Phoenix was pleasantly surprised at how amiable Lang was. Well... okay, he wasn't smiling gaily or laughing, but he seemed content talking with Phoenix. It was a good thing to know- that they'd be able to have civil conversations.

Or it'd make the remaining days with Lang kind of difficult.

Well, all would be fine. If he didn't receive another caseload, then they'd be able to sail past the week smoothly-

"Oh, my phone!" Maya exclaimed, dripping some tomato sauce onto her acolyte outfit in surprise. She pressed the green button and held it to her ear, blinking curiously. "Hello, this is Maya Fey, how can I help you?"

Phoenix, Pearls and Lang watched, curious as to who it could be. The only people who called Maya would usually be Larry (to flirt with her) or Penny Nichols (a fellow Steel Samurai friend that Maya had bonded with after Will Power's case a few years ago).

Either that... or it would be—

"Oh! Really?! We'll be right there! Thanks for calling," She hung up, turning to Nick, a bright look in her eyes. "Nick, guess what! WE'VE GOT A NEW CASE ON OUR HANDS, so let's tackle it with gusto!"

Phoenix sighed, rubbing his temples. Lang grunted, turning back to Phoenix.

"Just do your job. I'll be around, but I won't interfere with anything, alright?" He mumbled, picking up his iced tea and sipping it slowly. The lawyer blinked, then chuckled.

Was this Lang's way of assuring him...? Hm, cute.

"... Thanks, but I'm sure we'd be better off if you helped." Phoenix said, grinning. Lang stared back at him. "I'm not gonna do your job for you, Wright."

Still grinning, he stood up and Pearls and Maya did the same while chatting animatedly and squealing about something, followed by Lang, who eyed the cashier, where his money probably was.

"You know what I mean." The attorney said to Lang as they walked out, the bright rays of the afternoon sun hitting his face. "Let's do our best!"

As Lang stared at his companion, he felt his lips twist into his trade-mark smirk.

Phoenix Wright...

This man was something else, alright.


End file.
